Survival: Interlude
by bemj11
Summary: Third in my Survival Series. Begins with Alice's return. Carlisle's POV for first few chapters. Chapter 4 Alice's POV. Last chapter up, Jasper's POV. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

How long had it been since Alice had left us?

It had been little over a month, though it seemed longer, and I still thought about her everyday. I felt guilty, selfish, for wishing she were here. For wishing to have her back, to have her cheerful nature fill the house, to hear her voice, and her laughter.

For wishing Esme could have her daughter back.

For wishing Rosalie, and Edward, and Emmett had their sister back.

For wishing that Bella's best friend and Nessie's aunt would return.

Then they could stop missing her.

But she had left for a reason, Jasper reminded me on occasion. He reminded all of us, when we needed it. She still loved us, we were still her family. Whatever reason she had left, Alice still loved us. She had had no other choice but to leave, Jasper believed.

He believed she would come back as well.

I don't know how he did it. How he found the strength to live through each day without her. They had been incredibly close, incredibly in love. But he somehow carried on without her.

He went to school, as usual. He watched football with Emmett. He read and played with Nessie. He played the guitar, he could often be found in the garden with Esme. He went on as normal, reminding us that it was okay to go on living, that it was okay to do things we enjoyed.

That it was okay to be happy, and to laugh, and joke, and smile.

That life went on.

Even if he laughed less often, even if his smiles were increasingly rare. It was only to be expected, with her gone. It was only natural that his loss would affect him somehow.

But life went on.

Esme sat beside me, leaning against me as I read. Emmett and Jasper were watching the game, Jacob was trying to explain to Nessie _why_ humans wanted to play a game with such potential for injury when they were such fragile creatures, and why anyone would want to watch it. Edward sat with Bella on his lap, their attention on each other.

My head jerked up at the sound of laughter, and I was surprised to find the sound had come from Jasper. His eyes were sparkling as he rose from the couch and darted outside. I followed him, confused, worried, and even a little bit hopeful, for with the life suddenly in his eyes, in his movements, one could plainly see just how much agony he had been in during her absence. The rest of the family followed us, concerned as well, but daring to hope that perhaps-

Perhaps she had returned.

All the same, I could scarcely believe my eyes. A vampire was running towards us, through the trees and out into the clearing around our house.

Alice was back.

"Alice!" Jasper was running to meet her. She didn't slow down, or stop, but merely grabbed his hand as they met to pull him with her.

"No time!" She was telling him, her voice urgent. "They're coming. The Volturi." She replied to his unasked question. Before I had a chance to wonder why the Volturi were here, Alice and Jasper were with us, and a cruel laugh echoed through the open air.

"Told you." Said a vampire as _they_ appeared. How had we not noticed their presence around our home? "One little vision after being deprived of them for so long, and she'd come right to us." A grey haired male smirked. "And bring the whole family in on it as well."

"We can handle them." Alec laughed. I recognized several vampires now, and realized with horror that they had indeed been sent by the Volturi.

He and Jane stood back as the other vampires lunged for Alice, who was nearest to them. It was possible they thought they could subdue her quickly and have one less to worry about. They didn't count on Jasper, who stood close beside her.

Jasper snarled and threw himself into them, stirring the rest of the family into action.

And all was confusion and chaos from there.

For a while we seemed to be holding our own. For a while it seemed we had a chance. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Emmett take down Demetri, and I saw Jasper throw Alec through a tree.

Then Jane snarled and turned her attention to Jasper, who fell. He let out only a shout, but it was enough to bring Alice over to tackle Jane.

Bella was down, I realized, if Jane was using her gift.

Jasper was attacked by a vampire I didn't know, leaving Alice to deal with Jane.

All this time I was fighting Felix, trying to hold my ground. Edward came to my aid as Felix knocked me down, and was off again before I had even regained my footing. I heard Alice scream and turned to see her fall. I rushed to her side, drawing Jane's attention away from her, forcing her to focus her attention on me.

As Jane fell, fear pierced my heart and I heard a scream. I turned to watch Esme fall to another vampire.

"Carlisle!" Alice gasped as someone grabbed me from behind.

I felt suddenly weak. Tired. Dizzy and nauseous. Things I had not felt since becoming a vampire. I felt as if I were dying, or how I imagined dying would feel. It reminded me of when, near the beginning, I had tried to starve myself, and how weak I had grown then.

I tried to throw her off of me, but didn't have the strength. The black haired female laughed, and threw me backwards into a tree.

I gasped as I hit, more from the realization that I was in pain than at the pain itself, and slid to the ground. The tree was unaffected. The strange female approached me, her eyes mocking.

Jasper was there, suddenly, sinking his teeth into her arm. Alice was beside me, pulling me up roughly. I blinked as I staggered to my feet. Alice's grip on my arm was painful.

The female got her own teeth into Jasper's shoulder then, and he let loose a snarl, trying to get her off.

She loosed, then went for his throat, and they both were down on the ground, growling and rolling around.

Shouts and screams and curses filled the air, and it hit me.

We were losing.

Bella was down, and Esme. Emmett was nowhere to be seen. Jasper was down too, I realized as his opponent rose from the grass.

Another shout, and three more vampires joined the fray, two of them letting loose cries that were inhuman, full of rage and challenge. The male quickly eliminated one of our enemies, while the two females tore another in two. All three of them were fierce, better equipped for this fight than my family was. They continued their attack on our foes with little hesitation. I thought I even sensed enjoyment in the face of one the females.

Alice threw herself back into the fray, eyes blazing. Emmett resurfaced, swearing and launching into the grey haired vampire, and our side was up again.

Someone gave the call to retreat, and our attackers fell back, trying to escape.

"Carlisle!" I recognized Peter as one of the latecomers. "Do we follow or let them go?"

"They took several bodies with them." One of the females that had come with him hissed, her words laced with a Spanish accent.

"Any of ours?" His attention was focused on her. I had been completely disregarded for the moment.

"I do not think so." She replied, right before the forest around us burst into flame.

"Covering their tracks." Peter shouted. "Get out of here! Meet up at the house!" He turned to Alice as he joined us. "Tell Charlotte I'm trying to find out what I can before the fire destroys everything." He turned to glance at me. "And get him inside!"

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor any of its characters are in my possession.


	2. Chapter 2

Alice and I were the last to make it inside, if one did not include Peter. I recognized Charlotte as Alice delivered her message, but had eyes for only one person.

_She_ was alive.

"Carlisle!" Esme gasped and threw herself at me. I groaned at the pain I felt as she hugged me tightly, and hissed as I felt as well as heard something crack. She drew back abruptly, her eyes wide. I staggered and nearly fell.

"Sheba." Alice spat, catching me and maneuvering me onto the couch beside Bella.

"Sheba was the one who attacked you, Carlisle. Her gift is to weaken people." Edward explained. "You're about as weak as a human. And as fragile." He added, stepping forward to run his fingers along my sides, as if checking for broken ribs. I gasped as pain flared in my side, and Edward frowned.

"Guess I got off lucky." Bella said softly. "Alec took me out before we even realized he was there. I missed everything."

Nessie was tending to Jacob, who was sprawled in an armchair and smelling of blood. He must have sustained some serious injuries for him to still be hurt.

Emmett and Rosalie were by the window, he watching the fire outside, she fussing over several bite marks in his arm; one silent, the other hissing her displeasure at his injuries.

I turned my attention to Esme, who still hovered close by, unwilling to leave my side. "I thought you were dead." I told her, taking one of her hands in both of mine. To feel her touch...

"I was afraid _you_ were." She replied softly, her voice trembling. "And then I thought I would be joining you. I'm glad we were both wrong." I nodded in agreement, but winced as the motion made me dizzy again.

"Take it easy." Edward warned me before turning his attention back to Bella.

Charlotte was explaining to Alice why they were here. "Maria knew something was up, and knew we'd want to know. She found us, and Peter tracked you here." She frowned. "You're supposed to let people know before you abandon them to go get into a fight." She scolded, but her eyes were gentle, kind.

Maria was the other female, then. The Maria that we had briefly met so long ago. The Maria that had turned-

"Where's Jasper?" Esme asked the same question that had just occurred to me as Peter returned, slamming the door behind him with a little more strength than was necessary.

Peter spoke directly to Alice, ignoring everyone else. "Couldn't find him. Couldn't find anything. Not one trace of him. No body, nothing." The tension in his voice was barely controlled, his red eyes flashed, and I realized what a dangerous enemy he could make.

And then my attention was on my daughter.

I was up off the couch as her eyes went blank, and caught her as she crumbled, only to fall with her. I swallowed a cry of pain and wrapped her in my arms. She leaned against me, shaking, sobbing.

I didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. We had both seen him fall, had seen the female vampire take him down. Alice clung to me, her grip painfully tight, whispering his name.

Finally she looked up at me, her eyes fierce. "I'm going to make sure." She said.

Peter sighed. "Alice-"

"I have to know for sure!" practically screamed, ready to lunge at him if he said anything else. He licked his lips, but remained silent, instead turning to speak with Charlotte and Maria in low voices.

"Alice." I said softly. She looked at me, suddenly less sure of herself. But I understood her need.

"I'll go with you." I said, rising slowly. Edward and Esme both looked mutinous, but thankfully didn't argue. I think they both understood as well.

As we walked out the door, she said softly, her voice nearly a plea. "I have to know, Dad."

"I know." I reassured her. "It's okay."

"They'll be back." Alice said tonelessly, as if to break the silence. "The Volturi. They want me, and Edward, and Nessie. Conner can manipulate minds. He could control us, force us into the guard."

We searched, but just like Peter, found nothing among the charred remains of the forest.

"I can't see him." She said at last, dully. Her brightness of spirit, her joy, was gone. "He really is gone."

"I'm sorry." I said as she stumbled and clung to me for support. "I'm sorry, Alice."

"It happened anyway." She muttered. "I put him through all of that pain for nothing. For nothing." She said bitterly, then went silent.

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor any of its characters are in my possession.


	3. Chapter 3

We made our plans. Quickly, quietly.

The Volturi would be back to finish us off and take what they wanted. If we let them. My mind still reeled at the thought of this betrayal. That they would attack us so, that they would try to force members of our family to join them. That they would resort to violence to get what they wanted.

We could not fight them. We had barely survived this fight. There was no question that we had _not_ won this last fight. With Jasper lost, and Alice all but gone, we had already lost.

We would split up, those of us who were left, and disappear.

We couldn't beat them in a fight, but we could run, and we could hide.

We could survive.

It was hardly noble, hardly courageous, but none of us was ready for another fight. None of us could take any more loss.

Rosalie, Jacob, Nessie, and Esme would form one group. Emmett and Bella formed another. Edward, Alice and I made the last group.

The plan was to meet up and reorganize our groups in four years. Until then we said goodbye.

I told my wife I loved her, promised to take care of Alice. I kissed her slowly, tenderly.

And then we split up into the night.

I kept my arm around silent Alice as Edward led the way to the car. He watched over us as I helped her into the backseat of the car and got in beside her. Edward closed the door behind me and climbed into the driver's seat. He started the car, and Alice turned to stare vacantly out the window.

She hadn't spoken since those last words in the ruined forest. She hadn't said a word, hadn't reacted to anyone or anything. It was as if the Alice that stood before us were only a shell. As if the real Alice were gone.

I closed my eyes against the weariness that threatened to overcome me, and the pain that shot through my head. _It's going to be alright._ I tried to tell myself.

"No, it's not." Said Edward from the front seat. "Not for her. Maybe not even for you." I was no better than I had been after the fight, three days ago. It had taken that long to figure things out and thank Peter and the others for their help.

*

"I'm sorry." Peter had said, wrapping his dark green leather jacket around Alice's shoulders. "I wish we could have done more." He was still agitated, his eyes, slightly darker than they had been, still flashing with some unvoiced emotion now and again.

"Sorry we didn't make it here sooner." Charlotte added, giving Alice a hug and a small, sad smile.

Maria said nothing; she merely gave Alice a look that was almost pitying.

Peter had come to shake my hand, "Should you need anything, give us a call."

I took his hand. "Thank you." I said. "You turned the tide."

Peter shook his head dismissively. "It wasn't enough." He said angrily, his eyes flickering to Alice, his expression anguished.

"You did what you could." I reassured him. "We could not ask for more."

Peter sighed. "Still, should you need anything..."

"We'll call." I told him, though it was unlikely we would drag either him or his mate into our fight again. "Thanks again." I said. I caught and held Maria's eyes. "To all of you."

They left then, silently, disappearing into the night.

*

"We can't do this forever, Carlisle." Edward interrupted my thoughts. "We have to do something."

_We will._ I was too tired to form the words aloud. _But for now we cannot face them._

Edward sighed. "I know." He said at last. "I know."

*

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor any of its characters are in my possession.


	4. Chapter 4

_He's gone. _

_I'll never see him again. Never see him smile. Never again hear him laugh. Never hear his voice, reading or singing or even just speaking._

_I'll never walk with him again. We'll never run together, never lay together in silence, our thoughts only on each other, no one else in existence. _

_I'll never see the amazement in his eyes as he wonders how I could love him. _

_I'll never seem him get needlessly tense, ready to defend me from even thoughtless words from teenage girls in high school._

_I'll never hunt with him again, never be able to reassure him again, never be able to thank him or praise him or say a kind word._

_I'll never be able to feel his body next to mine, never feel his breath on my neck, his hands playing with my hair. I'll never feel his emotions again._

_I'll never see him again. I'll never be with him again. _

_I'll never again just sit with him, talking about nothing important at all, or feel his arms around me or his lips against mine. I'll never get to tease him and have him tease back._

_I'll never get to watch him read to Nessie, or watch football with Emmett. I'll never get to watch how gentle he is in dealing with Esme, or how callous he pretends to be with Rosalie when he really understands, but also understands that she doesn't need his sympathy, not in front of the others. I'll never witness another philosophical debate with Carlisle._

_I feel empty, except for my heart, which feels like someone ripped a large hole in it and is still tearing at it, picking at the wound, so it can't heal, so it only gets worse._

_Everything reminds me of him. Nothing holds any interest without him. _

_I can still smell his scent on the jacket. At least I have that. _

_And memories._

_And I replay them over and over again in my mind. _

_The day we met. Our first kiss. They day he proposed. Our wedding day, and night. The day he saved my life. Our first day of school together. Countless days spent simply sitting, or talking, or running. All good times, only good times._

_I didn't want to remember the bad. I couldn't._

_I couldn't bear to see even a shadow Jasper upset, not even in my mind, not even if it resolved into happier things._

_Things are different now, but I can't bring myself to care enough to figure out how. I think Carlisle is always with me now. I know I still hunt. He probably makes sure of that. Instinct takes over after a point, and it's nice to forget everything else for a few minutes._

_Forget my poor Jasper? How could I? How could I abandon his memory for even that long? _

_But I do, and it is not something I could change._

_The thought plagues me, though. I cannot escape it._

_I left my family. Left my Jasper. Made him suffer. I thought I was protecting him. _

_But it was all for nothing._

_He's gone anyway._

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor any of its characters are in my possession.


	5. Chapter 5

I was dizzy, naseous. I couldn't think straight, couldn't understand where I was or what had happened or why I felt like this. I heard laughter nearby, and it sent a chill down my spine.

"Quit playing around and kill him." I heard a voice I should probably recognize say. "He's too weak to even fight back. I doubt he has the strength to even hunt." Another laugh, high and piercing. It sent an echo of pain through my head.

My name was Jasper, I remembered.

There had been a fight.

Alice-

I shoved that thought away. I would deal with it when I had time.

The black haired female had done this to me. She was the reason I felt so weak.

She was the one who had been speaking.

I was behind enemy lines. They were talking about me.

I had to escape.

I experimented, and discovered I _could _move, though I felt- sore. Stiff. It hurt to move. Still, I _could_ move, at least, for now. I began slowly, quietly inching my way away from the voices. I wondered if I would be able to stand, let alone run.

They were too busy laughing and talking to notice my movements, or perhaps they were so overconfident that no one was watching me. If I were not so weak, such overconfidence would mean their deaths.

They deserved to die, after what they had done to my Ali-

To my family.

I moved, carefully, inch by inch, until after what seemed an eternity I had covered a distance of about five feet, if my foggy mind were to be trusted. I gathered myself, and forced myself up and into a run.

I don't think they even noticed. I don't know if they even cared anymore. Maybe they figured I was dead anyway.

It was entirely possible that I was.

I didn't make it far, maybe a mile or so, before I collapsed. The sun was shining; for some reason that was bad. I couldn't remember why.

I smelled it then. Blood. Human blood.

I was ravenous. There was nothing but the smell of that blood and the burning in my throat. I tried to stand, but no longer had the strength.

I heard an exclamation. I supposed it was from the human. I couldn't focus enough to tell.

"What on earth?" A male said. It was closer. I growled and lunged at him, but fell short. He watched me curiously. "What have we here?" He asked. I didn't like him. He walked around me as I lay helpless on the ground, snarling and growling.

"Skin that glistens." He noted. _That _was why we stayed out of the sun. Humans were not supposed to see us like this. "Very pale." He continued, leaning forward to touch me. I lunged, trying to bite him. I barely missed. "Cold skin." He noted. He frowned, and again moved his hand close to me.

Again I lunged. But I was slow. He was out of reach again. "Craving for human flesh." He decided. "How interesting."

I couldn't get to him, I realized. And having come to that realization, my mind drifted to something more important.

Alice.

I had seen her fall; I had seen, through my fight with the vampire that had done this to me, another vampire, older and grey haired, rip her throat out, had seen her lifeless eyes as she fell.

She was gone.

All the little pieces of me that had somehow been put back together with her return snapped. I let out an inhuman shriek as rage and despair and sorrow ripped through me, and closed my eyes against the pain.

I knew no more.

Author's Note: And yes, that is the end of this one. Hope you enjoyed, and I hope you kept reading long enough to figure out that I didn't really kill Jasper off. I mean, seriously, how could I? He's one of my favorite characters. And I couldn't leave poor Alice like this anyway.

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor any of its characters are in my possession.


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